In 2022, in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), the latest international year-round autonomous Arctic station Snezhinka will start operating, acting on January 20 at the presentation of the project in the press center of the MIA Russia Today. Institute of Arctic Technology MIPT Yuri Vasiliev.
“A detailed plan is being worked out (for the construction of the Snowflake). We expect to pass the stage of state examination before the end of this year. If everything goes as planned, then the installation of piles will begin in the spring of 2021, and the bulk of the construction work will be completed in 2022, ”said Yuri Vasiliev.
The project of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The construction of the station will be carried out in cooperation with domestic and foreign industrial partners.
It is planned to involve organizations from the countries participating in the Arctic Council (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the USA), as well as observer states. In particular, at the moment, agreements have been reached with Japanese companies.
Speaking at the presentation of Snezhinki, Ambassador-at-Large on International Cooperation in the Arctic, Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolai Korchunov recalled that in 2021–2023, Moscow will chair the Arctic Council. According to him, the issues of sustainable development of the Arctic will be on the agenda during this period. In this regard, the implementation of the plant project is gaining serious reputation for the Russian Federation.
“We consider this initiative as an important pilot project, which will also contribute to the transition of the Arctic region to a closed-cycle platform of activity. ... The concept of the project corresponds to the principles that we lay the foundation for Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council, ”Korchunov emphasized.
According to the diplomat, the MIPT project is in line with the president’s position to support international scientific cooperation in the Arctic, as well as to use resource-saving technologies in the region. Korchunov noted that the department expects the participation of "foreign colleagues" in the construction of "Snowflakes".
Scientific experiment
"Snowflake" will be built a few hundred meters from the ethno-campus "Land of Hope." The station will power this small village, where several dozen Nenets families live. Its discovery is expected to contribute to the influx of tourists and generally improve the living conditions of the indigenous population.
The area of "Snowflakes" will be about 2 thousand square meters. m. It is planned to build two residential and two laboratory modules in the form of domes. The station will be reliably protected from severe frosts and gusty winds. The main layer of thermal protection of buildings will be 300 mm.
- Project of the living room of the Snezhinka station
- © Institute of Arctic Technologies MIPT
The facility will be able to live more than 30 people all year round. The station will be equipped with single rooms, a library, a gym, an observation deck and a small greenhouse adapted for growing various crops. The station from Salekhard Airport can be reached by electric snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles TRECOL. Depending on the weather, the road will take 6-8 hours.
MIPT expects that Snezhinka will become one of the centers of international scientific cooperation. On the basis of the station, technological solutions in the field of construction, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, medicine, agriculture, robotics, the Internet of things, smart home, and 3D printing will be tested. Research and scientific experiments will improve life support systems in the Arctic, according to the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
The main feature of Snowflakes is the use of hydrogen and renewable energy sources (RES). Windmills, solar panels and three "domes" for the production of hydrogen through electrolysis will be installed at the station.
Yuri Vasiliev considers hydrogen to be the most promising energy source for small Arctic settlements, which are often in transport isolation and not connected to a centralized energy supply system.
Over the past decades, diesel generators have been used in the Arctic for heating and power generation. This practice requires a constant supply of fuel, which is not always possible due to weather conditions. Also, burning a diesel engine damages the atmosphere.
Hydrogen at Snezhinka will be produced from water. The total generation of hydrogen "batteries", as calculated by MIPT, will amount to 350 kW. Mostly, hydrogen will be used in the cold season, from April to September the station will be able to work mainly on wind and solar energy.
In response to a question from RT correspondent, Yuri Vasiliev said that the cost of the main stage of Snezhinka work, taking into account the costs of designing and promoting the project, is estimated at € 10-12 million. The scientist did not specify the sources of funding, but made it clear that the MIPT is counting on the influx private, including foreign investment.
Deputy Head of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Alexander Mazharov noted that the construction of Snezhinka is, above all, a scientific experiment that is unlikely to pay off. However, its implementation will allow testing environmentally friendly technologies that will be in demand in Russia in the medium and long term.
“A very real perspective”
MIPT has big plans to replace diesel in the vast Arctic and the Far East. In the summer of 2020, in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District in the village of Laborovaya, scientists will commission a small hybrid autonomous power station. Its launch should reduce diesel consumption by locals by 50%. The payback period of an object is estimated at 10 years.
According to the rector of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Nikolai Kudryavtsev, “replicating this experience” with the support of investors will improve electricity supply in isolated villages in the Arctic, reduce public spending on utilities and reduce the burden on local budgets.
- Factoria Laborova
- © Sergey Pyatakov
In an interview with RT, Viktor Boyarsky, honorary polar explorer of the Russian Federation, Ph.D. From the expert’s point of view, Russian scientists propose promising projects that will facilitate living conditions in harsh climatic conditions.
“Diesel generators pollute the atmosphere, and, of course, they must be gradually abandoned without fanaticism. I am a supporter of the development of nuclear energy in the Arctic, but I have nothing against experiments with windmills, hydrogen and other energy sources. For remote and isolated villages, this is a very real prospect, ”Boyarsky explained.
A similar point of view is shared by the president of the Foundation for Scientific Research and Development of Civic Initiatives, Aleksey Anpilogov. In a RT commentary, he stated that diesel in the Arctic is a scarce and expensive energy source.
“Russia should have its own developed competencies in the field of alternative energy sources. This is a way out for isolated Arctic settlements that are highly dependent on liquid fuel. The potential for the use of renewable energy sources in the Arctic is very large, and MIPT projects are a step forward on this path, ”concluded Boyarsky.